Bardin
Back to bardin.me

AI search · 17 September 2026

When ChatGPT recommends a business — what it is actually reading

Chat assistants do not invent a good butcher. They summarise pages and profiles that already exist.

People now ask ChatGPT or Gemini for “a driving school near Chantonnay” the same way they used to type it into Google. The model still needs sources. Your job is to be a clean source.

Models borrow from the open web and from Maps

If your only presence is a Facebook album, there is little to quote: no stable URL, thin text, hours buried in a screenshot. A website with your town, your services, and your phone in text is something a model can cite.

A complete Google Business Profile gives opening hours and reviews — the same signals humans use on Maps.

Write like a human answering the question

“Permis B in Chantonnay, manual and automatic, private moto track in Sainte-Cécile” is usable. “Welcome to our universe of mobility excellence” is not. I keep pages short and specific on client sites for that reason.

You do not need to stuff “best” twenty times. You need facts a stranger could verify.

This does not replace Google. It stacks on it.

Most people still search Google. AI is an extra front door. The work is the same: honest site, honest Maps, pages that load. That is why the website offer includes Google and Maps — not as a buzzword, as the source layer.

If you want to see the commercial side, the websites page lists what is in the 900€ package. This article is the why.

Julien Bardin builds modern websites for local businesses (Google, Maps, AI visibility) and ships startup MVPs in 2–4 weeks. From €900 + €25/mo for websites, or from €5,999 reference price for most SaaS & app projects. Book a free call.